Bottom of the Abyss
by Zaphias
Summary: [taito] When is the line between dreams and reality drawn? What if there never was a line to begin with? chapter five
1. eno

Disclaimer - Don't own Digimon, never will.

A/N: Yeah, something I started working on at 2 o'clock in the morning. Probably something that will get periodic updates that are far between, sorry. _Bottom of the Abyss_ is a working title and I may change it later on...

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**Bottom of the Abyss (1/?)**  
by Aero

When it first started happening Taichi thought it was just nightmares. He thought they would go away, but they only got worse. He racked his brain trying to figure out what triggered these nightmares, but couldn't come up with anything.

Taichi walked into his kitchen after the first nightmare he had and made himself some breakfast; a bowl of cereal. Even though he wasn't all that hungry he forced the food down his throat and into his stomach. Five minutes after consuming the food he gagged almost regurgitating his food. He forced his stomach to be calm.

He thought back to the dream he had, he shivered as he recounted the events that happened. Taichi jumped when there was an abrupt knock at his door. His heartbeat quickened as he approached the door. There was another knock once he reached it, he jumped once again.

"Taichi?" came a voice from the other side."Open. It's me, Yamato." Taichi opened the door, meeting Yamato's gaze on the other side."What's wrong?" he asked noticing Taichi's pale face. "Did something happen?"

At this point Taichi was shaking, his whole body trembled uncontrollably. He tried to say something to Yamato, but his brain wasn't telling his tongue to move. He stopped breathing--Yamato noticed immediately.

Grabbing Taichi by his shoulders Yamato shook him forcefully. "Taichi," he started. "Taichi, you have to breathe." The brunet continued to move his mouth but otherwise gave no response. Yamato tried to keep himself from panicking because of Taichi's odd behavior. He shook his friend harder.

"Taichi! You have to breathe! _Breathe_, dammit!"

When Taichi took in a deep, loud breath Yamato sighed. He pulled Taichi into a tight embrace, noting the brunet's rapid heartbeat. He hugged Taichi until he breathing wasn't as rapid and his heartbeat slowed.

"Are you okay?" Taichi nodded. Yamato knew that was a lie. "What happened?"

"I think I had a panic-attack," Taichi said simply.

Yamato arched a delicate eyebrow. "Since when do you have panic-attacks?" The brunet shrugged. "You've never had panic-attacks."

That's right, he didn't usually have panic-attacks, but who says it's not possible? 'You'd have one too,' the brunet thought idly. His tongue had stopped working again, but Taichi continued to breathe normally. He felt as if his tongue was swollen, he felt suffocated but knew he was still breathing. It was as if his brain had stopped working entirely and his body had a mind of his own. He would think one thing but feel something totally different. His body didn't feel like what his brain was telling him. His brain was telling him that his tongue wasn't swollen, but Taichi knew it had to be. His brain also told him everything wasn't in slow motion, but Taichi knew that wasn't right either.

He found himself sitting on his couch in his living room sometime later. He couldn't remember how he'd gotten there but knew he had to of walked... Unless Yamato had been working out recently and carried him over to the couch. Taichi knew the latter wasn't even a possibility. The brunet watched his friend scurry around the apartment, he wanted to ask the blonde what he was doing but his tongue was still swollen.

Maybe Taichi was allergic to the cereal he'd eaten. That was the only thing he could come up with and that's why his tongue felt swollen. But, he'd eaten that cereal before and everything turned out fine. He was started to get scared because he couldn't talk. He kind of laughed. And noted the weird look Yamato gave him.

"Taichi, are you okay? You've been weird all morning," Yamato said, sitting on the couch next to Taichi. The brunet started to panic when he couldn't reply.

"I can't talk," he said after a moment, and Yamato refrained from laughing. "My tongue's swollen, my brain isn't working right."

Yamato jumped when Taichi stood up and started pacing the room, panic evident in his voice. His arms were flailing around as he rambled on about not being able to talk.

"It doesn't sound right, my voice sounds different. My body is completely detached from my brain, it has a mind of its own now. I feel as if I'm being swallowed by darkness. I'm swimming... Swimming in a pool of darkness and it's suffocating me little by little. I'm choking on my tongue. I--" Yamato finally cut off the brunets ranting.

"--Taichi! Calm down!" Taichi stopped and stared at Yamato. "Taichi, you can't be choking on your tongue, your tongue is fine. And how can you _not_ talk when you're ranting on about not being able to talk?"

"I don't know!" Taichi shrieked his breathing becoming labored. "My tongue _feels_ swollen and everything's in slow motion. I can't _breathe_!"

Yamato didn't know what to do. Taichi was freaking out and it took every cool nerve in the blonde's body not to freak out too. It was hard to watch as his best friend continued to panic and not be able to do anything about it. Everything the brunet was saying and doing wasn't like him at all. Yamato watched at his eyes started to water, but Taichi blinked back the unshed tears. At this point Yamato knew for sure something was wrong, Taichi never totally freaked out. He sounded genuinely scared--that alone scared Yamato.

He did the first thing that came to mind, he got up and embraced Taichi for the second time that day. Giving someone a hug felt so foreign to Yamato; he never hugged anyone and never two times in the same day. He knew it was because Taichi was acting so out-of-character and that alone made Yamato act the same. He sighed shakily when he felt Taichi trembling.

"I don't know what's happening," Taichi whispered. "I can't explain it." Yamato pushed Taichi away slightly and looked the shorter boy in the eyes.

"That's alright. I'm just worried about you," he said and Taichi gave him a wry smile.

"I think I'm okay now. I'm sorry."

Yamato shook his head. "Don't apologize, Taichi. Why the heck would you apologize?" Taichi shrugged.

"I don't know. I feel like I should be sorry."

"Well don't be, okay? Geez, I'm the one who's supposed to be mentally unstable, not you." At that Taichi laughed, it was his loud, obnoxious laugh; the one Yamato had become accustom to over the years of knowing Taichi.

"I'm not mentally unstable... I'm fine now, really," he said sighing. His tongue was back to normal and he no longer felt he was being suffocated. "It was so weird, I've never felt like that before." Yamato nodded.

"Well, I'm glad you feel better. You had me worried, no, more like scared, for a minute there."

"Yeah, me too," Taichi said, his expression serious. "I hope I never have to go through something like that ever again."

Taichi almost panicked again when he found himself in the shower. He felt like he was sedated, which he couldn't be entirely sure because he'd never been sedated. But, if he was going to be sedated he figured it would feel something like what he was feeling now. 'What is happening to me,' he thought as he washed his hair. 'Why do I feel like I'm dreaming?'

Suddenly Taichi was hit with a wave of dizziness. He steadied himself by using the wall, all at once he felt sick. He scrambled out of the shower quickly just barely making it to the toilet before losing his breakfast. He lurched forward inconsistently, his dry heaves subsiding after a few seconds only to start up again when he moves.

A knock on the door makes Taichi sigh. He doesn't say anything though and prays that he locked the bathroom door when he first came into the bathroom. His prayers were answered when the door doesn't open. He knew he couldn't be all that attractive right now, someone throwing up never was. Plus, his hair was still soapy and his naked body still dripping soapy water. The wave of sickness had hit him so fast that he hadn't had time to do anything else but dive for the porcelain.

He groaned out loud, his voice echoing in the small bathroom. "Are you okay in there, Taichi?" he heard through the door. He smiled to himself as he laid his chin on the toilet seat. He was glad Yamato hadn't left yet and that he cleaned the bathroom the day before. He could rest assured that everything was clean. Actually that was one thing Taichi couldn't stand; a dirty bathroom. So needless to say, his was always clean. Spotless.

"I fine," he replied finally. "I just got a little sick, I'm fine now though."

"Okay." He heard through the door. He sits on the floor for a few more minutes before climbing to his feet and finishing his shower.

When Taichi walked out of the bathroom with towel around his waist, Yamato gave him a worried look. The brunet smiled at his best friend and made his way to his bedroom. After a few seconds he walked back out and sat down next to Yamato on the couch.

"I lost my breakfast in the bathroom," he said obviously.

"So I heard," Yamato replied.

"You don't have to stay, y'know. I can manage." Yamato shook his head.

"Sorry, Taichi. I'm not leaving you alone; not until I can be positive that you're okay," Yamato said. Taichi smiled, laughing lightly.

He was glad Yamato wasn't going to leave. He didn't want to be alone, whatever was happening to his body was starting to scare him. Being alone right now probably wouldn't have been too good. He just didn't want Yamato to feel like he _had_ to stay and take care of him. The brunet was overjoyed with the fact that Yamato was happy to stay though.

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Aero: What do you think? This will probably end up being R-rated, no doubt in my mind actually. So, leave me a review, okay? They're much appreciated! Thanks! ::grins::


	2. owt

Disclaimer - I don't own Digimon and make no profit from this. Duh.

A/N: I got myself a job and I haven't had time to write as much as I'd like, if anyone is ever wondering what's going on and when I plan on updating go 'head and read my LiveJournal... That's where I post half-written chapters, and usually estimate when it'll be done. Plus, most new one-shots that I haven't edited yet go there. So, if you're curious... Take a look at my profile, the link is there. Ph33r this chapter!

Warning: Real quick... A bit of swearing in this one... Taichi mostly... Only. I'm only warning because of the f-bomb... All other curse words don't matter. XD

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**Bottom of the Abyss (2/?)**  
by Aero

When Taichi finally closed his eyes and fell asleep that night it was already four in the morning. He'd tried to stay up as long as humanly possible because sleep scared him. After having his first nightmare he was scared that he might have another. He was terrified by that thought.

Taichi was caught off-guard when he awoke that it was still dark and the clock telling him it was 10:33 am. At first he thought his blinds over his windows were closed but after further investigation came to the conclusion that that wasn't possible. His blinds were partially open and it was _still_ dark. Sighing he threw the covers off his body and crawled out of bed.

Glancing around the room, Taichi noticed nothing was out of place; except his door was shut. He never shut his bedroom door unless he was changing, and even then he sometimes didn't. 'Who would shut my door,' he thought to himself. 'Yama... Yamato wouldn't.' He stood staring at the door like it was going to reach out and bite him.

'This is stupid, Taichi,' he thought. 'You're being stupid. Open the damn door.'

Walking the rest of the way to the door Taichi reached out his head to grab the doorknob. He jumped when there was abrupt knocking coming for the other side. To Taichi it sounded urgent, like a quickening heartbeat. It got louder in his ears, it echoed throughout the room. His heartbeat quickened slightly as he watched the door. Just as abruptly as it started it stopped and Taichi's ears started to ring. It was a soft ring at first but grew louder as the silence suffocated him.

Taichi opened his mouth to say something but found his tongue was swollen again. He choked back a sob as he started to panic. All at once he threw himself at the door and fiddled with the knob trying desperately to get it open. The room was suffocating him, cutting off his air supply completely. Finally the knob turned and Taichi pulled the door open; almost flying back from how quickly it flew open.

He stared into darkness and swallowed loudly. The darkness on the other side of the door seemed... darker somehow. Taichi couldn't figure out if that was even possible. It made his heartbeat jump into his throat and his stomach twist into knots. 'This can't be real,' he thought confidently, but his confidence fizzled away when the smell hit him like a brick wall. Trying not to gag, he took a step back. It felt like a slap across the face.

Coughing Taichi fell back onto his bottom. He stared at the darkness that seemed to stop at the doorway leading into his bedroom. He couldn't put his finger on what it smelled like. 'What is that?' he thought. 'What can smell that... bad?' Climbing to his feet he told himself, "C'mon Taichi, you're the one with all the courage."

The brunet laughed at himself for being so stupid when he realized what the smell was. Shaking his head he said, "Taichi, you jackass. You forgot about the food on the counter... It's probably nice and moldy now."

Not thinking twice, Taichi walked into the darkness. He stopped trying to get his eyes to adjust to it. Once his eyes adjusted he looked around the room. The stillness was kind of disturbing. It was too calm, especially being 10:30 in the morning. The smell was little more... Raw, now. Taichi knew it wasn't something that went bad, it was something like... like... decomposition. Skin... Skin decomposing. Taichi gagged at the thought.

Why would his apartment smell like that?

'Please tell me Yamato didn't murder something, or worse!' Taichi didn't allow himself to let his thoughts travel any further.

"Yamato," he called out. "Are you still here?" He walked around the room, glancing at the couch. It was bare. "Hey, Yama..." his voice trailed off into a hushed whisper. He didn't get an answer of course.

Then there was the soft thumping sound that Taichi couldn't pin-point the location of. He tried to follow his ears but decided that wasn't working too well, so quit before he made a fool of himself. 'Yeah, like anyone is watching,' he thought to himself sarcastically. Moments later he heard a louder thump making him jump.

"Ah, y'know... Maybe I'll just... I'll go back to bed," he muttered aloud, tripping over things as he scurried back towards his bedroom. "Forget courage, I'll leave that department to Daisuke." He felt awfully foolish when he jumped onto his bed and pulled the covers over his head.

"What the hell am I doing?" he asked himself a moment later, throwing the covers off his body. He stared out into the living room, waiting for something to move. Taking a deep breath he yelled, "Whoever the hell is out there, I'm giving you two minutes to get out before I fuck your ass up!" Too bad he wasn't really going to 'fuck up' anyone, at least that wasn't his intention. He was just hoping his bark was worse than his bite... Of course there wasn't going to be a bite.

The thumping stopped momentarily before starting again, louder somehow. 'I'm just going to _shut_ the fuck up,' Taichi thought glaring at the living room. 'Look, Taichi, you made _it_ angry.' After a moment Taichi found himself pressing his body against the headboard of his bed. Shutting his eyes as tightly as possible Taichi tried to ignore the thumping sound. It would have been different if the thumping wasn't more of a knocking, a very weird knocking. Not like a knock at the door or on a piece of wood. It echoed inside Taichi's head. He could swear he felt it in his chest. Maybe that was just his heart beating.

The brunet sat pressed against the headboard staring out into the living, swearing the thumping was getting louder. The volume continued to rise until it was all Taichi heard. He forcefully covered his ears with his hands, shaking his head furiously.

"Stop it!" he yelled after a moment, the thumping stopped abruptly. He uncovered his ears and glanced around the room. "Thank you," he whispered to the dark room. Swallowing, he crawled off the bed and walked back out into the living room.

"He-hello?" he called out. "Is anyone there?" He coughed when the smell hit him again. It wasn't as bad as the first time though. He covered his nose with his left hand and made his way over to the door leading out into the hallway. Taichi finally decided that he would go knock on someone else's door and see if they were having... strange things happen to them too.

Walking out into the hallway Taichi noted that the lighting was normal - it wasn't dark. He looked back into his apartment and jumped when everything was back to normal. The darkness seemed to fade away.

"The hell," he muttered to himself staring into his apartment, awe-struck. "How is that even possible?" He jumped again when he heard a whimper. His head snapped in the general direction of the sound and his eyes landing on a person sitting about 5 feet away from where Taichi stood. The boy was leaning against the wall, his head in his hands.

"Hey," Taichi called out. "Are you okay, man?" The boy froze upon hearing Taichi's voice. "Hey, are you okay?" When the boy looked up and over at Taichi he felt the sensation of throwing up coming again. The smell hit him again a moment after and Taichi gagged. When the boy moved slightly Taichi gagged further making himself cough. He knew immediately that this boy was the cause of the horrendous smell, but how could someone smell _that_ bad.

Taking a closer look Taichi realized that the boy was bleeding. The blood ran down his face and into his eyes and mouth. Before he had time to think Taichi was in front of the dark-haired boy. He held his breath as crouched down to the boy's level.

"Are you okay?" the brunet asked forcing himself not to inhale. The boy was trembling. "Hey," Taichi said as he reached out and put his hand on the boy's head. The boy jumped and looked up at Taichi. In the split second Taichi pulled his hand away from the boy as if he had been burnt and found himself on the other side of the hall pressing himself against it as if he would disappear completely.

"Taichi," the boy said, his voice strained. "Taichi." The voice was hollow and pierced Taichi's eardrums. It wasn't until then that Taichi's noticed half of the boy's face was missing, or maybe that was darkness overtaking him again. Their eyes met and it hit Taichi.

"Daisuke?" the brunet called out as he got a whiff of the rotten smell again, gagging. The pain that was evident in the mahogany-haired boy's voice made Taichi wince. "What happened? Why are you..." But Taichi trailed off as he caught a glimpse of the hand he'd had on Daisuke's head. Blood dripped down his hand and arm, little streams of crimson everywhere.

Daisuke's voice snapped him out of his reverie, making Taichi jump. "Taichi." Was that all the boy could say? Taichi didn't like the way it sounded coming from the bloody boy in front of him. When Daisuke made a move towards Taichi the brunet jumped up quickly before he could be cornered by the younger boy.

"Look Daisuke, you should go to the doctor. You're hurt badly... You stay here while I go call an ambulance." Daisuke shook his head and Taichi watched as his scalp moved freely as if it weren't attached to his head. Taichi stared at it, fighting down the fluid that came up into his throat. He screamed when Daisuke wrapped his arms around his waist. When had the boy gotten so close...? Taichi tried to push the boy away but nothing he did would get the boy away from him.

Taichi sat up in his bed panting, sweat rolling down his forehead. "Daisuke," he whispered to himself, his eyes wide. He crawled out of his bed and walked out into the living room. He didn't notice Yamato sitting on the couch giving him weird looks, Taichi just went straight for the door. The door flew open and Taichi trotted into the hallway looking around frantically.

"Daisuke?" he questioned softly. "Daisuke!? Dai... Dai_suke_!" His voice was rising and he couldn't stop it. He froze when arms wrapped around him.

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So what'dya think? Leave me some reviews because I love them so! ::grins:: Excuse the stupidness of this chapter, my first attempt at this crap. And that's exactly what it is... CRAP!


	3. eerht

Disclaimer - Yeah, you remember, right? Don't own Digimon. Gawd, does this sound repetitive or what?

A/N: I think ffn ate some of my reviews... I don't know, maybe not. Anyway, it's fun to write, meaning you get more sooner than usual. Aren't you all so lucky? XD Changed the rating too, because having it R-rated makes me feel better about some of the... disturbing things... that will appear.

Quick thank-you thingy-ma-bobbers... Erm, yeah:

**Sillie**: What's happening with Taichi? Heh, I'm not telling! XD Weird... Yeah, I'll except that. Thanks for reading! ::grins::

**nEo-cHaN**: Not crap, huh? Maybe not... Anyway, here it is! ::grins:: Thanks for reading, hun!

**LadyK Na-No-Da**: I know! Poor Taichi, and I feel bad for Daisuke too... Being all torture-fied and stuff. XD 'Torture-fied' is a new one. Thanks for reading!

**Redvind**: I'm taking it not being able to say a word is a good thing...? Here's more! XD Enjoy and thanks for reading!

**Yamachi Rainbow**: I'm scaring you!? Cool. I keep think they should make a horror flick out of this... XD Thanks for reading, hun!

**Kurochan**: Hee, I am proud... I like confusing people! It's fun! XD Thanks for reading!

**Night Sparkle**: Heheh, pretty clever. XD And, I'm so going to try to keep the crappy work coming. XD Thanks for reading!

**Tinanit Enozym**: Rambling is always entertaining. ::grins:: Heh, love your little 'predictions', they made me laugh. XD The review in general entertained me to no end. Oh, and I wouldn't want you to wear all your keyboard down for nothing, so here's the next chapter! Thanks for reading!

Y'know, if I missed you... I'm sorry. Hence the reason why I thought ffn ate some of my reviews. ::shrugs::

Warning: Some, erm, disturbing...? Material in this chapter... Maybe.

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**Bottom of the Abyss (3/?)**  
by Aero

There was only one thing going through his head, he had to find Daisuke before he got really bad. Even if the brunet was scared, he still had to find the younger boy. Taichi'd never been scared of _any_one, but he was of that Daisuke that his eyes had fallen upon. It wasn't like anything he'd ever seen. He couldn't feel himself stumbling to the door. He was kind of surprised his feet and legs were even working correctly since his whole body was numb. Or maybe it wasn't, Taichi couldn't really tell. He could feel his brain shutting down, his mental state was pretty unstable and he could feel it.

He would have screamed the name at the top of his lungs if it weren't for the hand that clasped over his mouth, abruptly shutting him up. So instead all he got was a half-yelled, half-muffled, Daisuke, out before the hallway was quiet. He struggled against the hand roughly. Taichi gasped into the hand when he was spun around quickly, nearly making him dizzy. His eyes widened when he met crystal-clear blue ones, which he recognized immediately belonging to Yamato. He stopped struggling against him instantly.

"What's going on?" Yamato asked, worry etched across his face. He removed his hand from Taichi's mouth. "What happened?"

"I don't know," Taichi replied frantically. "Daisuke was out here, he smelled like he had a dead animal in his pocket. He was bleeding all over, he got it all over me..." The brunet trailed off as he looked down at his once bloody hand. He was surprised to find it wasn't bloody anymore. Taichi looked up at Yamato. "It was bloody, he was here... He was all _bloody_."

"Taichi, Daisuke hasn't been here. I'm sure he's at home sleeping, just like you were five minutes ago." Yamato paused and watched Taichi. "You just had a bad dream, okay? Daisuke is fine, if you want, I'll call him and make sure." Yamato could see something in Taichi's eyes click, and the brunet laughed.

"No, why would you do something like that? I know it was just a dream, I was just kidding around. I know the loud thumping sound, blood, and darkness wasn't real. Of course I know it wasn't real, what do you take me for?"

"Taichi! It's okay, you don't have to convince me," the blonde cut in quickly, wanting to spare the shorter boy some embarrassment. "You look exhausted, why don't you go back inside and get some rest, huh?" Taichi shook his head.

"I'm not tired," he said quickly. Yamato raised an eyebrow.

"What? What do you mean, 'not tired'? You look like you haven't slept in days."

'Day,' Taichi thought. 'My first nightmare was last night and then this one.'

"Yama, everyone has nightmares, right? It's no big deal." Taichi couldn't tell if he was trying to convince Yamato or himself. He figured he was trying to convince himself, and he knew he needed convincing. You don't have dreams like that, at least he never had dreams like that before. You don't tend to dream that one of your good friends looks and smells like they're half-dead.

Yamato finally got Taichi to go back inside, but Taichi still wanted to make sure Daisuke was alright. He didn't tell the blonde that though. He figured he'd wait until Yamato was asleep or something before calling Daisuke to make sure. Then it hit Taichi, would he have to explain to Daisuke why he was making sure he was alright? Taichi shook his head, 'Of course not, you idiot. Daisuke's like you... Stupid.' The brunet had to keep himself from laughing at the thought. He knew he really shouldn't be laughing at something like that and he wasn't quite sure what he found to humorous about it.

When Taichi yawned Yamato gave him a knowing look. "You should really get some sleep, Taichi," he said, rolling his eyes when Taichi shook his head.

"No, I'm fine, _real_ly. Don't worry." Yamato sighed.

"Look, you can sleep right here on the couch, and I won't move... I'll be here the whole time." He was sitting at the end of the couch, and Taichi contemplated the offer. Would Yamato really sit there for however long Taichi was asleep? 'Of course he would, idiot. How can you question your best friend like that?' he thought, slapping himself mentally.

Taichi nodded when he felt a yawn coming on again. "Only for a few minutes though," he said as he laid his head down on the pillow at the opposite end of Yamato. The blonde rolled his eyes, but nodded none-the-less. Taichi was out the second his head hit the pillow. He really _was_ tired, but he was scared to fall asleep again. Scared as to what his subconscious would come up with next.

He woke up two hours later and glanced down at his feet. They were in Yamato's lap and the blonde was watching television. Taichi grinned.

"I didn't think you'd actually sit there while I was sleeping," he said, laughing lightly. Yamato shrugged and smiled at the brunet.

"I told you I would, and you didn't believe me. Now I hope you have nightmares." The smile on Taichi's face faded away instantly.

"That's not funny, Yamato," he said seriously. "Knock on wood quick before you curse me again." He knocked on his own head before Yamato had the chance to reply. "I can't believe you said that! I hope you feel bad when I tell you that you were half-dead in my next dream."

"Your next dream?" Yamato asked laughing a bit. "Now you're going to have another?" he paused and then it hit him. "Hey, I'm going to be half-dead?" Taichi nodded with a smug grin across his face, and crossed his arms.

"Yeah, and you'll stink really bad... Making me puke, and it'll be all over _you_ making you smell worse." Yamato let out a chuckle.

"Thanks, Taichi. I feel real great now; only thing is," Taichi looked at the blonde expectantly. "How can I be half-dead? Is that even possible?" Taichi shrugged.

"How should I know? I just know that you'll _smell_ like you're half-dead." Yamato opened his mouth to reply, but Taichi cut him off. "You'll smell like you're dead, not half-dead. Jeez, dreams don't go by any rules anyway... You could be disguised as that and actually be an alien for all I know in my dreams."

Yamato nodded. "Sure Taichi, whatever you say."

#$#$#$#$#$

Taichi couldn't remember going to sleep, but figured he must have if he was waking up. He was still laying on the couch, but after a few seconds he realized that Yamato wasn't sitting where he had been. Taichi fought down the panic that settled in the pit of his stomach. 'Is this another dream?' he asked himself. Sitting up from his lying position on the couch Taichi looked around the room. It wasn't dark anymore, it looked like everything was normal. He sniffed the air sheepishly and found that it smelled normal. Taichi let out a sigh of relief.

Standing up Taichi called, "Yamato, are you still here?" He hoped the blonde wouldn't leave without saying good-bye. He would be hurt if he had. Very hurt.

When Taichi found himself in front of the door, he swallowed loudly. He stared at the door as it called to him, telling him to look out in the hallway. Taichi didn't want to, afraid of what he might find. He fought the urge to open the door and lost. He could feel the slow-motion taking effect as he turned the knob. Staring out into the hallway from his doorway, Taichi couldn't see anything out of the ordinary. It was eerily quiet though, which made Taichi shudder.

'Okay, Taichi, gather your courage. I know you've got it, use it,' he thought to himself. He stepped out into the hallway and glanced around. Everything was normal, well at least he thought it was until he noticed some red stains on the carpet. His breathing hitched and he stared at the red blotches. Blood. Blood stains on the carpet.

Taichi was leaning against his door, his breathing rapid. He was back in his apartment and he'd gotten there as fast as he could. His whole body was shaking and he couldn't stop it. The brunet didn't know what to do, that's when he got the urge to throw-up. Scrambling to the bathroom and barely made it to the porcelain before he started to heave, though nothing came out. Taichi sat there for a few minutes, nothing but dry-heaves.

Standing up from his position on the floor, something caught Taichi's eye. His eyes quickly fell on the bathtub, he gagged when he saw Daisuke laying in the tub in a crimson liquid that Taichi recognized instantly. The blood was overflowing out of the porcelain and Taichi realized it was all over. All over him, the walls, the floor. Taichi gasped as Daisuke looked at him, the brunet's back was against the closed bathroom door instantly. He waited for Daisuke to say something.

"It's not mine," the boy said, his voice strained.

Taichi took a step towards the bathtub getting ready to ask Daisuke a question, but slipped instead, falling forward. When the pain came and all he saw was red, Taichi blacked-out.

He could hear a faint voice calling his name. Trying to find it Taichi looked around, but he couldn't find the source. So he concentrated on the words the voice was saying.

"Taichi," the voice called. "Taichi, wake up. Please!" That was more than enough for Taichi. He opened his eyes abruptly and stared at the pale face looking down at him.

"Yamato," he croaked out. "I thought you left." Yamato shook his head.

"No, I've been right here." The blonde paused. "I went to get a drink and you flipped off the couch, hitting your head on the coffee table in the process. Wait here while I go to the bathroom and you get a wet washcloth, you're bleeding from where you hit your head."

As the sentence rolled off of Yamato's tongue, Taichi reached for him. He shook the blonde frantically. "No, don't go into the bathroom. There's blood everywhere." Yamato shook his head as he pulled away from Taichi.

"I'll be right back, okay?" Taichi shook his head. He watched as Yamato disappeared and second later he heard a gasp. That was all Taichi needed, he climbed to his feet and scrambled back to the bathroom. He stopped in the doorway of it staring at the scene before him.

Yamato sat leaning against the bathtub, his hair dripping a crimson liquid; it streaked down his face and onto his clothes. The once blonde hair was now a deep red and clung to Yamato's pale face. Taichi shook his head. 'This can't be happening,' he thought. 'This couldn't have happened that fast.' Taichi took a step into the bathroom and glance over Yamato, Daisuke wasn't there anymore, and neither was the blood that he once was laying in. Taking another step forward, Taichi reached out a hand towards Yamato.

When the blonde's head snapped up Taichi pulled his hand back with a gasp as if he'd been burned. Yamato's once perfect-pale face was now nothing but bleeding gashes; for a split second Taichi swore he could see the inside of Yamato's mouth through one of the deep cuts. Taichi fought back the tears that stung the back of his eyes, and he choked on the sob that tried to free itself from his throat. The blonde's mouth was stitched shut, his lips a redish-purple. Taichi forced himself to look at the wall and he dropped to his knees.

There was pain again, his head hurt. It hurt pretty bad. Would people just be quiet for a minute so he could sleep the pain away? 'Why is everyone yelling? What's going on?' he thought, his head jerking in different directions. When he opened his eyes he was met with the perfect-pale face that he was so sure he wouldn't ever see like that again.

"Yamato," he croaked. "You're okay, you... You're face is okay." Yamato stared at him and finally nodded.

"Of course it is, Taichi. Look, stay here... I'm going to go to the bathroom and get a wet washcloth for the cut on your head." Taichi grabbed Yamato instantly, the images still crisp and clear in his mind.

"No, it's okay. I'm fine, don't go." He sounded so frantic. So desperate. "Don't leave me here."

Yamato sat down next to Taichi where he was laying on the floor. "I'm not, I'm just going to the bathroom." Taichi shook his head and sat up. When the pain hit him he began to wish he hadn't.

"No, look... I'm fine," he said, giving Yamato a crooked grin. He hoped that it didn't look too forced. Taichi could feel the blood dripping down his brow. He wondered how bad he banged himself up, but wasn't willing to go into the bathroom and wasn't going to let Yamato go either for that matter.

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Aero: How was that? Please leave me a review! Y'know you all own me! XD Thanks for reading, much appreciated!


	4. ruof

Disclaimer - This is so repetitive. ::sigh:: You know I don't own Digimon, ne? X.x;; 

A/N: Took me a little longer than expected to complete this chapter... Sorry 'bout that. I've been busy with work and home crap. I wouldn't expect the next chapter to be out very soon either, but who knows... I may get hit with a wave of inspiration... Enjoy!

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**Bottom of the Abyss (4/?)  
**by Aero

No way was Taichi letting Yamato go into the bathroom. The brunet gagged which made him cough as images of Yamato sitting on the floor bloody took over his mind. He replayed the scene in his mind and then it hit him, where did Daisuke go? He'd been there before, but maybe that had been a dream. But how did that work? Could he still be dreaming or has he already woken up for real this time. Taichi had no way of telling. 

Taichi begged Yamato not to leave him and almost wrapped his arms and legs around the blonde just to make sure he wasn't going anywhere. He couldn't take the chance of Yamato being hurt in someway. Who else would put up with him? Especially when he was acting cracked-out.

Shutting his eyes tightly, Taichi forced the tears back. He was acting so stupid. Dreams aren't real, they can't hurt you. 'Unless you can't distinguish the difference between dreams and reality,' Taichi mused.

"Taichi, we have to take care of that cut," Yamato was saying. The sentence caught Taichi's attention. "How 'bout I go to the kitchen, right over there, and get a dishtowel. We can't let you sit there and bleed to death."

'I can't bleed to death from a little cut on my forehead,' the brunet thought as he watched Yamato walk into the kitchen and wet a dishtowel. Taichi pulled away from Yamato out of instinct when the blonde touched his cut with the wet towel, making his forehead sting slightly.

"C'mon Taichi, I have to get the blood off."

The blood was now dripping onto his clothes. He could feel the liquid getting into his eyes. He wondered if it looked real bad. Nothing could be worse than what he's seen in his dreams. "You didn't smell dead," Taichi said softly as Yamato wiped his brow. He raised his eyebrow, so Taichi continued. "You were okay two minutes before... It was everywhere..."

Yamato sighed. "Taichi, it was just a dream. I'm right here and I'm not going anywhere, okay?"

This was something Yamato wasn't used to. Taking care of Taichi, that is. He was never the one to recoil from something, hiding in the corner trembling. He was usually worrying about Taichi's decision making skills, which were piss-poor... Sometimes. Yamato knew Taichi had come a long way since the digital world, well, since the first time. But, he still had his moments where common-sense is thrown out the window, slaughtered as it hits the pavement falling from ten stories up.

Yamato hated when he made up weird analogies. They were usually the result of Taichi being freakish, when he started to think and worry about his best friend. With Taichi clinging to the blonde like he was made Yamato think back to when Taichi had told him he was homosexual. Why, he had to clue. When Taichi wasn't in sync with himself it knocked Yamato off balance as well.

Which is why Yamato's thoughts were jumping around.

Nothing had changed between the two, it wasn't like Taichi _changed_ in any way, shape, or form. He was still cheeky and self-righteous as usual. Which was weird, Yamato would have never guessed Taichi was gay. It never even crossed his mind. Maybe because it didn't bother Yamato at all.

The blonde dwelled on that thought for a few minutes before being shaken from it.

"Are you even paying attention to me?!" Taichi demanded, his face scrunched up. "Dude, I'm having a freak-out and you're day-dreaming!" Yamato covered his mouth, suppressing a laugh. "You'd better damn well be day-dreaming about me!"

This time Yamato did laugh, and then nodded. "Of course," he replied grinning. "Funny how you recovered so quickly."

"Well, I wouldn't have if you weren't ignoring me! You zoned out five minutes ago, I thought I was going to have to knock your head against the wall a few times." The words left Taichi mouth and he froze. He swallowed the lump that rose into this throat, but almost choked on it. He couldn't stop the images from completely taking over his mind. They flooded him like sick pop-up pornography. And he didn't have a pop-up blocker.

All Yamato could do was stare at his best friend as he struggled with himself. How could he show Taichi that this was reality, that he wasn't dreaming anymore. What would show him that he had nothing to worry about; that everything would be okay. He searched his mind frantically and came up with one solution.

So he reached out and touched Taichi's cheek. The brunet stopped abruptly and gave Yamato a curious look, and the blonde blushed a deep crimson. He couldn't believe what he was doing. He was never this touchy-feely, it was usually Taichi that was hanging on _him_ - not the other way around. Okay, so maybe Yamato wasn't _hanging_ on Taichi, but he felt like this wasn't something he'd normally do. Taichi must have sensed it as well.

"Yamato," he started. "What're you..."

Yamato hand slipped behind his head and cupped it, pulling Taichi's face towards him. Their lips met in a soft kiss that wasn't really a kiss at all, at least it didn't feel like it. Maybe that was because of the quickness of it.

Everything had melted away in Taichi's mind immediately. That quick brush of Yamato's lips against his was enough to make him forget the images that were plaguing him so unjustly moments before. His lips were burning from the warmth of Yamato's lips.

He was dumbfounded by his actions. He knew the consequences would be great, he never expected himself to do _that_. But, then again, it felt... Good. So, Yamato was a little more than mildly confused.

Both Taichi and Yamato jumped when there was a knock at the door. Taichi grabbed Yamato's wrist when he got up to get the door. He shook his head saying, "I'll get it, Yamato."

Taichi got up and went to the door. He hesitated ever so slightly when his hand grasped the cold metal of the doorknob. He repeated a phrase in his mind to calm his shaking nerves. 'There's nothing horrible behind the door. It's probably just Koushiro or something...' he thought.

He opened the door and screeched closing the door again. There was a hesitant knock on the door again and then a muffled voice. "Taichi, everything's alright...?"

"What's wrong, Taichi? Who's at the door?" Yamato asked from behind the brunet. Taichi didn't know when the sweat started dripping down his face, but it was now. He shook his head, trying to free his mind of the thoughts that bombarded him.

"It's just..." He opened the door quickly and revealed a surprised Daisuke. "See, just Daisuke."

The mahogany-haired boy sighed. "I thought something was wrong..." Taichi shook his head.

"Why would anything be wrong? Everything's fine." Daisuke nodded.

Yamato cleared his throat and said, "I asked Daisuke to come over... When you were sleeping. I have to leave, but that's why Daisuke is here."

Taichi hit the floor and stared up at Yamato. "WHAT!? YOU'RE LEAVING ME HERE!? BY MYSELF?! WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU!?"

"Gee, thanks Taichi... I feel real welcomed now." Taichi stood up and brushed himself off, he shook his head.

"That's not what I meant, Daisuke. I meant... Erm... I meant..." The shorter boy looked up at him expectantly, crossing his arms. "I just meant you don't know what's been going on!" Daisuke nodded.

"Yamato filled me in on the details when he called me... I don't completely understand..."

Taichi stared at Yamato like he'd lost his mind. What was he_ thinking_!? Daisuke was just like _him_, how could that be any good at all? Yamato was a little more... Oh... Mature with how he dealt with things. Daisuke wasn't. Taichi could feel his hope slipping away. He and Daisuke were going to go down with the ship, he just knew it.

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Aero: Okay, so not the best chapter in the world. Next one will be better, promise! Leave a review if you're feeling nice! And, I know you're ALL feeling nice, ne?


	5. evif

TITLE: Bottom of the Abyss AUTHOR: Aero  
EMAIL: aerogrrl (at) gmail (dot) com  
ARCHIVE: Of course (email)  
DISCLAIMER: Digimon doesn't belong to me.  
WARNINGS: Shounen-ai, angst, taito  
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hm…(_blows away the collected dust_) It's been _way_ too long, na? Gomen. But, no, I haven't dropped this fic or any of my fics—just taking me a while to update. No worries though, okay? If I ever do drop (highly unlikely) any of my fics…I'll let y'all know. But, thanks for sticking around—and reviewing…It's really not a complete waste of time—'cause they keep my memory in check…Y'know, I need reminding that I have things to write and finish. And, if all else fails…threatening me with a spork is the next best thing. XD

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**Chapter Five**

When the world almost stopped, Taichi tried his hardest not to freak-out again. With Daisuke there he was on the edge of his seat. He didn't know what to expect, and the images of the mahogany–haired boy sitting out in the hallway, beaten and bloody made him a little paranoid.

He noticed that everything was in slow-motion once again. He could feel his tongue swelling, but tried his hardest to ignore that too. 'Everything's normal, there's nothing to worry about,' he kept thinking. He wasn't used to the feelings of fear and paranoia. This was all so new to him, so of course he was scared. But, wasn't he supposed to be courageous and have lots of courage? What happened when all that courage withered and died? What was he supposed to do then?

The air thickened and it took everything Taichi had not to gasp for air. It was like he was underwater, and there was no sign of the surface.

"Hey, Taichi, are you okay?" Daisuke asked; he shifted where he was sitting—obviously a little uncomfortable with the whole situation. Taichi's head snapped in Daisuke's direction, making the younger boy jump.

"I'm fine," he said quickly, still trying not to gasp for the air he so desperately needed. "I'm fine."

'This is all so crazy,' he thought. 'You're starting to go absolutely insane.' But, how could that be? You can't just 'go insane', can you? You don't just wake up being insane, right? Just something else to add to his list of things to tell his mother…

"Hey mom, I'm crazy and gay, would you ever of thought it?" he mutter to himself under his breath. "Gimme a minute, I'll think of something else too."

Finally the air thinned a bit, enabling Taichi to breathe normally. 'This is okay,' he decided. 'I'm okay.'

"Uh…Taichi? Are you okay?"

The shaking was uncontrollable. He couldn't stop himself—he wished Yamato hadn't left. It would be an understatement if he said he was worried about the blonde.

Daisuke's voice was distant, and Taichi could barely hear it. He looked up at the younger boy and froze. His eyes grew wide as he stared at him. The blood was everywhere—it was all over the living room. Taichi blinked hard; maybe it would all go away. Maybe Daisuke wouldn't look like a rabid dog had attacked him. That was probably the worst—the state Daisuke was in.

"Taichi?" his voice was so agonizing. Taichi shook his head. This wasn't happening, it was all a dream…it _had_ to be.

When Daisuke reached out for him, Taichi jumped back. This was all too real for the brunet, and he couldn't handle it. He closed his eyes tightly, willing Daisuke away…out of his head. The images. It didn't take long for the stench from before to hit him once again. He wondered if it was worse now because Daisuke was so close, but he couldn't quite remember it from before.

He opened his eyes a few moments later just as Daisuke grabbed his shoulder. 'But,' Taichi thought. 'That was a little firm for a simple grab.' Then he was staring at the white and red-splattered ceiling of his living room. It took a few minutes for it to register that Daisuke had pushed him. It was like Taichi was only able to see bits and pieces of things that were happening. It didn't make any sense.

It was like it was one big dream. A big dream that felt real. That was the thing…when you _know_ you're dreaming; can't you usually control that dream? Wasn't there like…some theory about that somewhere? He'd make sure to ask Koushirou or something.

Taichi opened his eyes…he hadn't realized he had closed them though. He also wasn't lying on the floor anymore. He was in his room, on his bed. 'When did I go to bed?' he thought, sitting up. He glanced around the room, but Daisuke was nowhere in sight. 'I wonder if that was all a dream,' he thought. 'I wonder if Yamato is still here then.'

He moved to get out of bed—his feet swinging out to land on the floor, but he stopped abruptly. Getting a weird feeling of déjà vu, he pulled his feet back under the covers. His door was open…Taichi wasn't sure he should be relieved or worried. He stared out into the hallway—waiting. After a few minutes he'd forgotten what he'd been waiting _for_. Finally, he sighed and moved to lay back down. There was a knock on his front door a minute later that made him jump, but he just pulled the covers tighter around his body…Willing himself to go back to sleep.

When Taichi awoke in the morning, he laid in bed for a few minutes. He was lost in his thoughts. Finally, he peeked over the covers to scope out the room. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, but Taichi knew that nothing ever did. So, Taichi pushed the covers off his body and got out of bed. He tip-toed to his bedroom door and looked out into the living room.

"Everything _seems_ normal," he said. "But, something could pop up…"

"Why're you talking to yourself?" Yamato asked, giving Taichi a strange look. Taichi sighed.

"I see you're back—good."

"What'd you mean, I'm back…? Did I go somewhere?"

Taichi laughed, but he realized it sounded a little more nervous than he'd intended. He wasn't quite sure what to think. Could he just be joking around—trying to get a rise outta him? 'Would Yamato really do something so low…?' Taichi thought. 'I'd think he'd have a little more compassion than that.'

"Didn't you leave?" he asked, finally. Yamato just stared at him.

"Was I supposed to?"

Taichi took a step back into his room. "I think I'm gonna go back to bed now…I'm still a little tired. Don't…go into the bathroom or anything while I'm asleep, okay?" Yamato raised an eyebrow.

"Don't go into the _bath_room? Why?" Taichi shrugged.

"'Cause…I said not to…just don't, okay? And, I'm gonna go back to bed…Hopefully I'll wake up and everything will be back to normal…" With that, Taichi was back into bed—covering his head with the blanket.

"Back to…? Normal…?" Yamato wondered aloud. "I wonder if he's getting sick or something…"

Yamato couldn't help but wonder why Taichi had told him not to go into the bathroom. He couldn't help but think of that stupid person in a movie who was told not to press the red button, but did it anyway. 'Curiosity kills the cat, right?' He wasn't too sure he wanted to 'die'.

He shook his head and said to himself, "You're being stupid."

Trying to busy himself with other things, Yamato was determined to forget about his curiosity. Though he'd catch himself looking down the hallway at the closed bathroom door. He cursed Taichi for ever saying _not_ to go in the bathroom.

He made his way down the hallway, but glanced into Taichi's bedroom first—to make sure he was still sleeping. When he realized he was standing in front of the bathroom door a moment later, he took a deep breath. He grabbed the doorknob and twisted it. Opening it a crack, he peeked inside…everything was normal…so, what was the big deal? That's when a figure behind the shower curtain caught his eye, and the sound of running water filled the small room.

"If Taichi's sleeping…who's that?" he said under his breath. "Taichi didn't say anything about anyone being here…did he?"

Curiosity winning him over again, Yamato opened the door completely. He stared at the shadow behind the curtain. Did he really want to know who it was? He was sure that Taichi would have told him if he had any…visitors…over. That's what struck Yamato as odd—Taichi hadn't mentioned anyone.

"Screw this," he finally said. He took two strides towards the curtain, and threw it open. "Who the hell—Aah!"

"What the _hell_? What're you _doing_? I don't recall you being one to just randomly come into a bathroom and decide to take a _look_!"

Yamato stared at Taichi, his bottom-jaw resting on the floor. "I thought you were in _bed_…_asleep_!"

Turning off the running water, Taichi stepped out of the bathtub. "Well, I decided that I'd take a shower. Didn't I tell you not to come into the bathroom?"

"I saw you in bed in your room… You couldn't possibly be here—you're…nevermind." Yamato figured that he'd just made a mistake—though, he found it kind of ironic that Taichi would be in the bathroom when he finally let curiosity get the best of him. "Was that the reason you told me not to come into the bathroom?"

"Huh?"

"You never gave me a reason not to come into the bathroom—so, you had to of known that my curiosity would get the best of me…is this some kind of sick plan of some sort?"

Taichi stared at his best friend for a good thirty seconds. "What're you accusing me of? 'Sick plan'?" Then Taichi got an idea… He gave Yamato a sly grin, and the blonde raised an eyebrow. Though, before Taichi could do anything, Yamato's eyes narrowed in realization.

"Don't even think about it," he said. "And, put some clothes on."

With that, Yamato left the bathroom. A smirk played across his face, and a laugh emerged from this mouth. He shook his head as he sat down on the couch.

Taichi stood in the bathroom with a towel around his waist. "That was the first relatively normal thing that's happened to me recently," he mused. "Kinda refreshing in a way." He hoped that things would stay normal…He fought the urge to knock on wood—since, y'know; he didn't want to jinx himself.

After awhile, Taichi emerged from his bedroom fully dressed. Thoughts raced through his mind—questions that he couldn't figure out solutions to. Finally, he decided he'd ask Yamato for help…Maybe he'd feel better talking to someone else about it…

The brunet sat next to Yamato on the couch—Taichi stared at him for a few minutes. Yamato shifted uncomfortably under the gaze.

"Why're you staring at me like that?" he asked. Taichi shrugged.

"I'm just thinking…you're my best friend an all." Yamato gave Taichi a suspicious look.

"Yeah…so? Is there something you wanna tell me?" Taichi nodded, and Yamato swallowed. "What is it?"

"Can I ask you something first?" Yamato nodded. "Were you here when I fell off the couch? Um…Did I freak out and not let you go to the bathroom?"

Yamato stared at Taichi for a few seconds, contemplating what he said. "You fell off the couch…? Are you hurt?"

That pretty much answered Taichi's questions.

"Hm…so, I dreamed that up, too?" he asked out loud.

"Dreamed 'what' up, exactly?"

Taichi shrugged. He wasn't sure if he _wanted_ to tell Yamato about the dreams he'd been having…After all, they were only _dreams_…it wasn't like they were actually _real_. He stared at Yamato for a few seconds before opening his mouth.

"I'm not sure…just weird crap that doesn't make sense. Lots of blood and guts." Taichi thought about the last sentence for a few seconds then laughed. "Like, I was in a samurai movie or something." Yamato nodded, unsure of what to say.

"Blood and guts? Who's blood and guts?" Yamato had a vague idea where this conversation was going, and he wasn't completely sure if he wanted to know about Taichi's gory dreams. Taichi shrugged again.

"It doesn't matter now, anyway. It was only a couple of _dreams_…no big deal."

They sat in silence for a few minutes. Yamato decided to let it slide…he figured he'd get it out of the brunet later anyway. He always did. Then he remembered, "Oh, Taichi…Daisuke called earlier…you guys are supposed to get together today or something…? I told him I didn't know, and I wasn't about to attempt to wake you up." He grinned at the brunet, but didn't notice the flash of anxiety that crossed Taichi's face.

"Is that right? Well, I don't think I'll be able to hang with him today…I'm not feeling all that well right now, but if I feel better later…maybe." Yamato nodded.

"Well, then you can call him back…He said he needed to talk to you anyway."

Taichi didn't end up calling Daisuke back. He didn't think he could handle talking to the mahogany-haired boy at the moment, but he did feel bad about it. He knew that Daisuke always looked forward to hanging out, but Taichi just didn't feel up to it today…and, he really didn't feel like explaining why that was.

Though, he wondered what the younger boy wanted to talk to him about. Taichi searched his memory, but the only thing that he could remember was the images of a bloody Daisuke sitting on the floor in the hallway, and the stench that followed. Just thinking about it made Taichi want to gag.

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**Updated - 06.02.2005**

The end! Ha, just kidding. XD Lookit, I updated...Be happy! And, make me happy by reviewing! Does anyone else hate this QuickEdit crap? It's gonna make me go insane! It totally screws up my formatting. Oh well. Review!


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